Pretending to Feel
by Xenelmia
Summary: “Roxas, I sure wish you were here to see that,” Axel whispered, looking up at the screens. Sure enough, Roxas’ face — his perfectly messy blonde hair and shining blue eyes — was looking down on him.


_Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts._

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Pretending to Feel

Chapter One

Gone

Drip, drop. Drip, drop.

The rain fell on the desolate city, as it always did. Neon signs silently cast their light on the empty streets. Buildings loomed overhead, their windows shedding a tear. The TV screens mounted haphazardly showed random images between the static: a red-haired girl who seemed to be calling out to someone, a boy with piercing blue eyes clutching a large key, a girl in a simple dress drawing in her white room. Memory's Skyscraper seemed to reach up longingly for the magnificent castle floating above.

A figure walked into the skyscraper's light, his footsteps echoing around the square. He was clad in a black cloak adorned with many chains. Its hood was pulled over his head, obscuring all of his features. He gazed up at the screens, watching the images float by. An endless dark expanse, with an imposing white door. Someone dressed exactly the same as he, holding two blades that resembled oversized keys. He chuckled softly at the last one.

Suddenly, a dark portal flickered into existence behind him, and another figure dressed in another black cloak stepped out. The first man quickly spun around, and his weapons flashed into his hands. They were shaped like the keys on the screen, one black and one white. He glared at the other figure, who called his weapons to his outstretched arms. His were like spiked disks, glowing with the power of fire. The shadows seemed to swirl around their feet, sensing the danger.

The two seemed to recognize each other, as both lowered their weapons. "Is that you?" the newcomer called. He dramatically flipped his hood back, unsheathing his red porcupine hair and iridescent green eyes. The other figure removed his hood to reveal unkempt silver hair, eerily illuminated by the heart-shaped moon. His weapons faded away, only an illusion.

"Axel," he said coldly. "You were expecting him." It wasn't a question.

"Zexion," Axel cursed, raising his weapons again. "I'm so flattered." he said sarcastically.

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" Zexion asked, amused. Darkness pooled around his gloved hands, as an exact copy of Axel's weapons appeared in them. The replicas glowed with fire, just as Axel's did.

"And here I thought I was unique," Axel mused, gazing at his own weapons. He lunged forward, lighting his two chakram ablaze and flinging them at Zexion. At the same time, he released a mass of flames out of his body, surrounding them both in a ring of fire. "Burn baby burn!" shouted Axel.

Zexion nimbly jumped out of the way, flinging his own chakram back at Axel. Axel just dove into the wall of flames, emerging behind Zexion and throwing him into the air. He leaped forward and sliced into Zexion, but the chakram just passed through him. "No!" gasped Axel as the real Zexion appeared behind him. Axel was too quick, and dove into the fire again.

Zexion stood in the middle of the burning ring, awaiting Axel's attack. He cast away his chakram in exchange for the two Keyblades, Oblivion and Oathkeeper. The only sound was the crackling of the fire and the heaviness of Zexion's breathing. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" he called.

Suddenly, Axel burst out of the flames behind Zexion, chakram drawn. Zexion expertly spun around, however, and parried Axel's attack with the Keyblades. The two warriors danced around the ring, thrusting and slashing, parrying and deflecting. "You're better than I remember, Zexy!" Axel taunted as he slashed across Zexion. One of the Keyblades was already there to block it, however.

"Perhaps I should assist you in remembering," Zexion coldly replied. He deftly broke off from Axel, jumped high into the air, and pinned Axel down with the Keyblades. "I tire of these games," he said as he multiplied in a circle around Axel. Each Zexion was holding exact replicas of Axel's chakram. "A shame to be destroyed by your own weapon," all the Zexions said. "I guess it's a better fate than that of your "friend" Roxas."

Roxas. The name triggered something in Axel's mind. Zexion, the duel, the city, everything faded away as the flood of memories overtook him. Sitting on the clock tower in Twilight Town, licking sea salt ice cream. Nights in the castle, staying up late telling each other scary stories. Seeing the first snow of the season, and swimming deep in the warm ocean. Forgetting that they were Nobodies. Forgetting the Organization, forgetting they had no feelings ... forgetting everything but each other.

"No!" Axel screamed, as fifty chakram flew towards him. The burning circle was extinguished as his body burst into all-consuming fire.

Silence.

Zexion's forms gazed into the smoke, looking for the telltale vanishing, and Axel's fading green eyes. When the smoke finally cleared, all they saw were the dying embers.

Out of nowhere, the ring flared again, even brighter than before. An inhuman scream rang throughout the square. Axel darted from one side of the ring to the other, his chakram cutting through Zexion's forms as he went. Finally, he slammed into the real Zexion, plunging his chakram straight through his chest. Axel yanked his weapon back out and kicked Zexion to the ground. "About time you faded, you bastard," Axel remarked, as the last fragments of Zexion's body floated into oblivion.

"Roxas, I sure wish you were here to see that," Axel whispered, looking up at the screens. Sure enough, Roxas' face — his perfectly messy blonde hair and shining blue eyes — was looking down on him.

"You still pretend to feel for him?" Another cloaked figure stepped out from behind an overturned truck. His shoulder-length blue hair served only to frame the X-shaped scar across his face. "That's almost touching. I imagine you would know better than anyone else, Axel."

Saïx walked over to Axel and pulled him into a corridor of darkness.

"Roxas is gone."

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I always wanted a better death for Zexy. He finally got it.

Please review!


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